31 Day Challenge (Day 8) -- Random Quirks

Today's challenge is "random quirks of mine." I'll try to whittle this list down as much as I can, because I'm nothing if not an extremely quirky broad.

1-- I constantly correct people's grammar, because I'm not a fan of morons. #wayharshTai

2-- I always carry a book in my purse. You never know when you'll be stuck waiting. 

3-- Unless I'm wearing a pair of boots, I don't wear socks. They creep me out for some reason and I hate the feel of them. 

4-- Birds are the worst and I have an intense fear of them. Want me to never speak to you again? Gift me with a bird and see how far I run.

5-- If fried shrimp is on the menu, I will order it. I don't care if we're at a Mexican restaurant. I don't stray far from my tried and true favorites.

6 -- I don't go to clubs. Bars/pubs -- ABSOLUTELY. Any place where the music can be described as "techno BS," no thanks. I'm out. 

7-- I will not eat cottage cheese. Are you serious? The texture of that is THE WORST. 

8-- When I'm making something like toasted ravs, they have to be in even numbers. 

9-- If I'm doing something that requires quite a bit of concentration, I tend to hold my tongue between my teeth. I thank my grandfather for this one. :) 

10. -- It is physically impossible for me to walk out of a bookstore empty handed. It cannot be done.

What about you, beauties? What are some of your random quirks? Any as ridiculous as mine? Don't worry, this is a safe space. No judgment! 

31 Day Challenge -- Day 7

Today's challenge is "reasons to be happy." A welcome challenge, after the last couple of days of Debbie Downer. I hesitate to make this post sound like an after school special, but I'm afraid it might veer into that territory a bit. I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.

1. Finally surrounding myself with strong women who's values and morals line up with my own. I'm not about to claim that I'm Prudish Penelope, by any stretch of the imagination. But, the last few months have been a wake up call as to who I spend my time with. Female relationships are so important and I'm glad that I've had the experiences I have had. However, I'm even more glad that I decided enough was enough and surrounded myself with the ladies who fill my heart with laughter. Women who I know are supposed to be in my life, and I hope will always be. 

2. BOOKS. So many books. My living room currently looks like the inside of a Barnes & Noble and I am delighted. Coming home to a huge stack of books and a glass of wine, for me, is the absolute pinnacle of happiness. 

3. Netflix binges. This might be a weird bullet point, but hear me out. The last few months, being unemployed, have taken a toll on my psyche a bit. There are days where you almost just want to say 'screw it,' and move to a tent on the beach. Allowing myself a bit of escapism through Netflix, has been known to calm me the hell down and take me out of my mind a bit. After I FINALLY finished Friday Night Lights (Texas Forever), I'm now back to finishing The West Wing and starting Broadchurch, because if I'm not watching at least one British series at a time, I'm not living. 

4. My family. Which is such a given. 

5. Making lots of little things to look forward to. This is one is probably my favorite. Sometimes life just really kicks you in the behind, and you need something to get you through the day/week/month/or even your year. ;) (PS-- Not getting that reference results in an automatic loss of friendship). It's why I drag out watching shows on Netflix, like House of Cards or Orange is the New Black, so I have something to look forward to at the end of a crappy day. Life is already hard enough as it is, might as well make it as enjoyable as you can. Plus, knowing I have a dinner and drinks date or a new book to look forward to, makes me that much more productive, so I can enjoy it sooner.

6. Learning how to say no and standing up for myself has been the biggest lesson I've learned this year. It has allowed me to cut out the BS and really live the life I want for myself (look, I warned you at the beginning this would take a turn). In the immortal words of one Ms. Liz Lemon: 

31 Day Challenge -- Day 6

In case you missed it, I did a surprise Sunday post last night! It's rare, but it happens. Today's challenge is "pet peeves." Dear baby Jesus, this could be 79 pages long. THERE ARE SO MANY. 

1-- Poor grammar. Look, with everything available at our fingertips these days with technology and what have you, there is NO EXCUSE for misspelled words, numbers in words, or any of that middle school girl BS. I don't understand people who just don't care to come off as uneducated idiots. How much time does it save you to cut down an already 3 letter word to one? I mean, are you kidding me? Jesus. You make me weep for humanity. And it's not necessarily people of my generation, it's people who are 20-30 years OLDER. I mean, COME ON. I just don't understand why people are so lax with their communications. And if you don't know how to spell a word? Let me introduce you to this wonderful website, it's called Google. Or dictionary.com. It will even give you the definition! Also, definitely does NOT have an A and ridiculous does not have an E. Thank you and good day. I SAID GOOD DAY.

2-- People who use social media as a platform to proclaim their "love" for their significant other incessantly. I think it's wonderful that you have someone that makes you happy. That's wonderful! Good for you! Mazel. But, when you do nothing with your Facebook or Instagram or Myface except to fill it with posts about how "great and wonderful" your SO is, let me take this time to call you out on your BS. I don't know who you think you're kidding, but it's painfully obvious to everyone on your feed that something isn't right. People in healthy, functioning relationships don't parade their love around. Text messages exist for a reason. Take the work you're putting into making everyone THINK you're happy and use it to actually make yourself happy. In whatever capacity that entails.

3-- People who don't use their blinkers. Contrary to popular belief, I am not telepathic. I cannot read your mind. I know! Weird, right? So, it would be just a delight if you could remember that your blinker isn't there for decoration, but to let the people behind you know what you're doing, so they don't have to brake suddenly. 

4-- The constant barrage of "Why are you single?" questions. I am single because I WANT TO BE. Because I haven't met someone that has made me go "Huh, you're a game changer, dude." I don't tolerate bullshit. I did for a long time, because I didn't care enough about myself. My standards are quite high, and I don't apologize for that. Unless and until you can make me feel that my life would be enhanced by you being in it, I'm perfectly content with books, booze and my amazing lady friends. Society needs to stop making women feel terrible because they're not married by a certain age. I will settle down when I feel that it's the best thing for me. I do very much want that for myself one day; a husband, a family. But, I WILL NOT settle. So, shut your face and let me do me for now. 

Well, I think that's enough "peevish" Tara for today. :) What are some of your pet peeves, beauties? Please share! 

Happy Monday! 

31 Day Challenge -- Day 5

Excuse the jumping ahead, but I just didn't think I could get through an entire post about my favorite animals (elephants, if you must know). Which puts us at #5, fears. If you had posed this to me a year ago, the answer would probably be much different. While some of the fears are the same, a lot has changed. But, you will never get me over my fear of birds. THAT IS HERE FOR A LIFETIME. It even has a name, ornithophobia. Ugh. Screw you, birds. SCREW YOU. 

I used to be afraid of ending up alone, of never finding the great love of my life. Now, while a bit of that fear stills lays latent, it's more about never finding the person who loves me like I love me. The last few years have been such a wake up call as to the men who I surround myself with. Ugh, some men are THE WORST. I think what I'm actually most afraid of is settling. I'm terrified that I'm going to settle just because 30 is around the corner and I haven't married yet. I am legitimately terrified of waking up one morning 20 years from now, rolling over and having the thought. "Ugh, you? SERIOUSLY?" 

And believe me, I can tell that there is some super judgment coming from people who are already married. I can almost see it rolling off of them. It's not even necessarily people my age, but when I'm continually asked if I'm seeing someone and than get the almost non-distinct eye roll when my answer is negative, it takes a lot of my strength not to punch you. 

A lot of other things scare me: the thought of never being a mother, of never finding a job I love, never getting to see the world and travel, and if I do get to be a mother, of raising my kids in a culture that denies BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS, just so many other things that would take pages and pages to fill up.

What are some of your fears, beauties? Fear of the unknown? Fear of flying? Fear of a world run by old white men who think they have any authority over your body? Fear of a post-Tina Fey/Amy Poehler Golden Globes hosting world? Share in the comments. We can get through this together. ;)

31 Day Challenge -- Day 3

Things I would do if I were brave? Oh man, do you have a year? I have a list a mile long of things I would do if I were braveR. I think the label of this particular challenge could have been worded a bit differently. Brave means different things to different people, and I think there have been plenty of times in my life where I've been brave, but had I been braveR? Now, that's a different story. 

Outside of the obvious jumping out of airplanes or swimming with sharks; if I were braver, I think the one thing I would want to do most is walk up to someone and tell them exactly how their treatment made me feel. I do have more than one person in mind, both males and females. I've never been one to lay my feelings out on the table if you've pissed me off or wronged me in some way. I tend to internalize and hold on to those emotions, later manifesting itself in a storm of anger/sadness. So for me to lay my cards on the table with someone, for me anyways, takes pretty much all the bravery I have. I have allowed people to talk to me or treat me in a way that is such utter BS. And the reason why, I think, is because I didn't love myself. I didn't realize everything I bring to the table. I don't need to be treated like queen of the world (just kidding, of course I do), but I do need to be treated with respect. Being able to feel like I can tell someone "look, that was really shitty and I don't appreciate being made to feel that way" is such a win for me. I want to scream it from the mountain tops. 

Bravery comes about in so many different ways. And it's something I've really worked on this last year. And the bravest I've ever felt was admitting, look, something is off balance here and putting myself on anxiety medication. I think, to the day I die, that will stand out as the bravest thing I've done. Because it shows me that I care about my mental well being more than the opinions of people who don't matter. 

Go forth and be brave, beauties! In whatever context you choose to do. You are wonderful human beings and I'm behind you 200%. 

31 Day Challenge -- Day 2

Today's challenge is "things that complete my life." I could go on a multi paragraph post about my wonderful family and friends. I could go on and on about the books that get me through rough days or the glass of wine I always look forward to at the end of the day. But, in all honesty, there is only one thing that really 'completes my life,' whatever that means. And that's kindness. 

I have prided myself on being a kind person for a long time. Some days I fulfill that better than other days. You would know that if you were ever in a car with me (road rage for days, say what). I hesitate to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but being an asshat will only get you so far in life. I admit that there are situations where you need to be a bit of a jerkface, but no one likes a Debbie Downer, so suck it up, buttercup. 

I'll be honest, a few months ago, a situation arose that had been weighing on my mind pretty heavily. I knew I needed to cut loose some people that weren't benefiting my life in a way that I needed or wanted. I went about it in the only way I knew how, which was to be totally honest. Anyone who knows me knows that it's pretty tough for me to tell you exactly what I'm thinking in a way that I feel is honest but kind. I've gotten better about it, for sure, but it's still something I work on daily. While I got absolutely no response from the person, I could go to bed that night with a clear mind. I did what I felt was right for me and I did it in the way I felt was right. You can't guess how people will react in any given situation, you can just do your best to be true to yourself (after school special, starring me, to come in 2016).

Since then, I've filled my life with people who don't make me feel like I have to be judgmental. People who I can be honest with and know that my honesty is respected. What completes my life is to be true to myself. To know that Tara is taking care of Tara, that's what matters.

Look, kindness never goes out of style. People will always be more receptive to those that come at them from a place of understanding and not hate. Obviously, not everyone loves each other, as I made clear a few paragraphs above. And not everyone should be in your life. But, if you can handle those situations with a kind heart and a bit of levity, then that's all that counts. Don't let the bastards get you down.

30 Day Challenge - Day 1

So sorry for the lapse in posting, beauties. Sometimes the post ideas just won't come. However, I did a little digging around the web, and found a 30 day blog challenge. Hopefully this will get my booty in gear to write everyday and you can learn some more about this crazy lady, -- which lets face it, is what everyone clamors for. Right? Bueller? Bueller?

Some of these will be a bit difficult (especially the Bible verses), so I may tweak as I go on. Anywho, let's get on with it. Today's challenge is "Favorite Sounds." 

I think outside of the obvious, like rainfall and baby laughs, my absolute favorite sound is that of genuinely funny people. The jokes and stories that come from a live well lived. Not people who rely on terrible humor to get by in a conversation, but people who genuinely find humor even in the most mundane situations. While I do love a good dirty joke, I've never been a fan of people who can't hold their own in any given conversation, and have to turn to innuendo to make them feel like they're contributing. Don't get me wrong, innuendo is delightful at times, and I use it here and there. But, sometimes, you just want to have a genuine human conversation (as opposed to a wolf conversation? I don't know), and the humor that comes from every day life can often be the best way to do that.

Belly laughs, from a humor that can only come with close friends, is high on my list. Intelligent, beautiful conversations with like minded people, or even those who don't share your views but start a lively, educated debate are also in my top 10. This is such a random, throw it at the wall and see if it sticks post, but sometimes that's what you need. :) 

PS-- I hope you all heard the wonderful news about Harper Lee? My English major heart has nearly exploded!! A sequel to a beloved classic is in the works and I don't know how I'm supposed to wait until July.